Who Needs Superman?
by Malquoria
Summary: What went on Lois Lane's mind as she wrote the article? Her thoughts and emotions explored.


**Disclaimer: The rights of Superman belong to DC comics and Warner Bros. I am making no financial gain from this story whatsoever.**

A/N: The article, or part of it, is written in the novel version of the movie. I, of course, can't write it here due to copyright issues. This opens up an opportunity for me to write my very own version of it.

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**Who Needs Superman?**

Any possible silence during the night was continuously broken by the screeching tires of cars below, the gusts of wind rattling the windows, and the breathing of the lone person in the room. An exquisitely beautiful brunette sat alone at a desk, alone from the world, literally and figuratively.

Right, have to get this article down on paper. I thought of it too much. Perry should like it, I just wonder if he'll think the public would, too. The articles on his disappearance have begun to fade, and it seems like the opportune time to send this out.

I sat in front of the screen, and began typing. The sounds of the keys being hit added to the others that shattered the night's quiet.

_Why the World Doesn't Need Superman_

I sucked in a deep breath.

_We humans have made amazing progress through history, ranging from landing a man on the moon to curing terrible illnesses. But we have many flaws, some of them immense._

Was it time for a smoke? I wondered. No, the pangs were weak. There was no time to try to stall this. The article had to be written.

_One unimaginably powerful flaw is our constant seeking of heroes. People we can look up to, teach our children to emulate, and feel comfort with, allowing us to believe all is well in the world._

My hand shook annoyingly. I had to remove them from the keyboard. I tried to steady them. Perhaps I should wait for the morning to type this? I was tired. No. _Stop stalling!_

_We seek them_ everywhere_. They could be anything, but a favorite seems to be the choice of a human. We desire to place those who act selflessly on pedestals, so high up into the sky that when we look up to them, we see them basking in the sun, more like extraordinary beings._

A sudden bang sounded, and I jumped up, looking around wildly. Calm down, Lane. It was _not_ gunfire. I slowly sat back down. A gust of wind pushed open a window, slamming it at the wall.

_We attribute to them what they neither deserve, nor what they asked of us._

My fingers hung over the keyboard. I reached the part. The words were so easy to think of. Suddenly, it felt so hard to write.

_A typical example of this is Superman._

I said it, You-Know-Who's name. It's been so long, yet I still get that feeling when I write it.

_Oh yes, he's more than just a human. His powers are legendary, including flight and inexplicable speed. Not to mention the amazing knack of being at the right place at the exact right time._

A gust of wind blew fiercly through the open window. I stopped typing. It couldn't be...could it?

"Superman?" I called.

I got up, and walked to the other side of the room, looking around. Nothing. I shut the window, the cold getting to me. I stood there staring at the sky. I could almost see a silhouette of him, with that infectious smile, chuckling at the state I got myself in after hearing a simple breeze.

I wrapped my arms around myself, and walked back to my desk.

_But have we grown too dependent on him? He's done alot for us, saving most, if not all, of our lives. However, we seek him in our daily lives, hoping he'd help us in every task. Have we placed a role on him that even he, _Super_man, cannot fulfill?_

Have I placed a role for him that he cannot fulfill? I shuddered, and shook my head. Now wasn't the time. It was bad enough that my sleep kept being invaded by such thoughts.

_He's left us, and like an addiction, the withdrawal symptoms arose. The shock that descended Metropolis when there was no sign of him over many days was palpable in every street, every home, and every person. It went through every class, race, and social status. We all felt bereaved. No, we felt far worse, as if the entire existence of our world was threatened._

As if my entire heart was ripped out and discarded. How melodramatic, Lois.

_Why should we feel that? Why should we feel that we no longer count, because one has left us? We should be able to continue on, like we've always done. Great men have died in the past, and the world hasn't ended because of their absence. Likewise, our world, our Metropolis, isn't gone because Superman isn't here. It stood before his coming, and it'll stand proudly in his absence, even if he never comes back._

Why do I have to think life doesn't count with him gone? Why can't I continue on? I shut my eyes tightly. Now's not the time. Please God, not now.

_We must always persevere when we lose those we are close to, those we love, and those we look up to. We cannot fall into a lull of waiting for the next great thing. Instead we must always look to the people present amongst us for help and guidance. Most of all, we must seek the greatness from ourselves, deep within our consciousness and souls._

I couldn't write anymore. I wiped my eyes, raised my head, facing the ceiling. Why? _Why?_ Why do I feel like this? He's gone. It's over. What should I do, retreat away from society, because I'll never meet another like him? Because I'll never want to feel pain like this again? I can't take this anymore.

One more thing, and that's it. I'll kill myself if I have to write anything else.

_We must seek to become Supermen or Superwomen of our own. We must be the heroes we seek._

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Lois!" Perry White yelled at the newsroom, his head sticking around his office's glass door.

"Yes?" Lois yelled back.

"My office, please," he said, and the head went back in.

"What is it?" Lois asked as she entered the office.

"Great news," Perry said, grinning broadly. "You've won the Pulitzer."

"I did?" exclaimed Lois, her eyes widening in shock. She punched the air. "Yes!"

"Brilliant, isn't it?" Perry beamed.

"What was it for?" queried Lois.

"The Superman article."

"Which one?" laughed Lois.

"_Why the World Doesn't Need Superman_."

Lois' smiled vanished quickly. She lowered her arm.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"That article got you the prize," Perry said. "I knew it was a great one. And to think you wrote it in one draft, without bothering to check it again..."

"Thank God for spell-check," Lois said, "or I'd still be looking through the article now."

Perry laughed.

"Why did they offer it for that article?" Lois wondered.

"_Why?_" Perry blustered. "Because that was a great opinion. You wrote something controversial, something that gave food for thought. That's why you got the prize."

"Oh... okay," Lois said. "If that's it...?"

"Yes," Perry said. "Go and celebrate. Take the rest of the day off."

Lois walked out of the office, gathered a few things off her desk, and left the building.

"I'll never get that woman," Perry said to himself, leaning on his chair. "Won a damn Pulitzer, and looks like I told her we might have the plague."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I needed to be alone to gather my thoughts. I won the Pulitzer! Finally, after all those attempts. They didn't even give me one for that story on the attempted destruction of the Eiffel Tower.

I stood on top of the _Daily Planet_ building, the giant bronze-coloured globe behind me, standing almost proudly in the Metropolis skyline.

I opened a the packet, and withdrew the cigarette. I lit it, and sucked on it slowly. I shut my eyes, enjoying the wind blowing back my hair, as I let out the smoke.

He wouldn't have liked it. Bad habit, he'd say, smoking.

My eyes stung, and I blinked quickly. I wiped the tears that came to my eyes. I'd have done anything to hear him say something right then. To hear his voice, chastising me for such a disgusting habit. To hear him say he was sorry for leaving, and he'd never go again, never leave me again. I miss him so much. I'd do anything...

Stop it Lane! It's over. He's never going to come back. If he was, he'd be here by now. He's _Super-frickin-man_, for goodness sake! Where'd he go that would require him to be gone so long, if he intended on returning?

I have to forget him, have to live my life. There's a little man that mean's the world to me, now. He can fill the void.

I have to let go.

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A/N: The article I wrote would never win the Pulitzer, but work with me. 

Please review. I plan to write more stories, and opinions will be helpful.

I want to thank all of you who reviewed _Revelations_. I may not have replied to all of you, but it pushed me to write this, and continue writing Superman fics. Thanks!


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